Modern material handling systems are called upon to transfer and sort a high volume of objects such as packages, equipment, luggage, etc. Such material handling systems often include conveyor systems adapted to include various material handling equipment such as baskets, trays, and a variety of diverting systems for diverting packages from the supporting surfaces of the conveying systems to a variety of output destinations.
Typically, material handling equipment such as baskets, parts bins, and material diverting systems are placed on a moving conveyor or are permanently fixed to a conveyor. In the case of material diverting systems, a typical package diverting system utilizes a pushing element mounted on a conveying surface which when actuated ejects a package or object laterally across the conveying surface to a desired discharge station. Often such systems are relatively permanently mounted adjacent to the conveying surface or are relatively permanently mounted on the conveying surface. Such methods of placing material handling equipment on a moving conveying surface can be noisy, and incapable of sustained movement at relatively high speeds. Additionally, where a package diverting system is mounted adjacent to or on the moving conveying surface, down time resulting from breakdown and subsequent repair, is increased by the requirement of bringing the conveying system to a stop during the period of repair of the individual material handling component.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,286,332 to Dyer, a modular chain link attachment for traveling water screens is disclosed for use on the links of a sprocket-driven chain. Individual traveling water screen panels are adapted to be attached between the links of an underlying conveying chain. A flange is formed on the water screen panel which is notched at the end to correspond with the pins between the links of the underlying conveying chain. On the side of the flange, a stirrup is disposed medially of the length of the chain link and is adapted to being engaged by a pin extending through the side bars of the underlying chain link to secure the detachable panel to the chain link.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,654 to Sarovich describes a conveyor structure in which conveyor units are attached to and moved by flexible coated wire cables. A plurality of article-supporting conveyor flats or sections are arranged along the flexible coated wire cable. The individual conveyor flats are attached to the flexible coated wire cable of the mating of a flexible metal latching arm to a corresponding rectangular-shaped flat-attaching and supporting plate. The rectangular-shaped flat-attaching and supporting plate is, in turn, attached to the underlying flexible coated wire cable. The individual conveyor unit may be detached and removed from the supporting plate members by pressing inwardly on the flexible resilient latching arms from below the flat-attaching and supporting members and then manually lifting the conveyor unit off the flat-attaching and supporting member.
In those systems, modular conveying surfaces are attached and driven by underlying conveying units such as the sprocket-driven chain of Blyer and the wire cable of Sarovich. In those systems, in order to remove the conveying surface from the underlying conveying unit, adjacent conveying surfaces or platforms must be disturbed. Additionally, during movement of the conveying system in those systems, action of the components of the conveying platform with the underlying conveying unit, is a source of wear and noise and necessarily limits the speed at which the conveying system may be operated. Additionally, the need to disturb adjacent conveying surfaces and the need to use tools for the removal of conveying surfaces in those systems results in increased downtime of the conveying system.
As may be seen from the foregoing, prior conveying and material handling systems are complex and appear to require the use of tools and significant downtime for maintenance and removal of individual conveying platforms. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a material handling system that is simple in construction, which can be easily maintained by removal and replacement of modular platforms without the use of tools, and which can convey objects at varying speeds and at relatively low noise levels. There is also a need in the art for a modular platform which is capable of carrying a variety of material handling equipment such as a parcel ejection mechanisms. Upon failure of the parcel ejection mechanism or at required maintenance intervals, the individual modular platform containing the parcel ejection mechanism may be quickly removed without the use of tools resulting in greatly decreased downtime.